Dental fastening for removable bridges and partial plates



w. L. WITHERS.

DENTAL FASTENING FOR REMOVABLE EWIDGES AND PAHTIAL PLATES;

' APPLICATION FILED MAYTfi, 1922 1,428,288.

Patented July 18, 1922.

INVENTOR BY I "1/" A TTORNE Y WILLIAM L. wrrnnns, or sent LAKE crrr, UTAH.

DENTAL FASTENING 13GB BEMGVABLE BRIDGES AND PARTIAL. PLATES.

fad-533,238.

Application filed May 15,

To aZZ "to/2.0m it may; concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. lvrrrrnns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salt Lake City, in the county of. Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Dental .Fastenings for Removable Bridges and to occupy a minimum space, between the abutment tooth and the tooth or teeth to be replaced.

Another object is to provide a dental fastening for removable bridges or partial plates that will have a free and normal movement during mastication without straining or breaking. the joint between the fastening elements, or their respective connections to the abutment tooth and bridge or partial plate.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dental fastening for removable bridge or partial plates so shaped as to permit a limited rocking movement to take care of the normal play between the anchor and keeper. Provision for this play are made by making the anchor and keeper rounding at the bottom, bent inward at the sides and bent outward at the top.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dental fastening for bridge or partial plates. having an anchor so constructed that all wear between the anchor and keeper can be taken up laterally by bending or forcing out the loop in the bottom end of the anchor and the same time causing no strain on the abutment tooth as is the case with the attachments now used.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dental fastening for the abutment tooth and bridge to be placed close to the occlusal surface of the tooth and away from the gum so that food will not collect between the fastening and the gum.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the drawings forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is an enlarged view showing the anchor in front elevation.

Fig. 2, is a side view of Fig. 1.

Specification of Le ttcrs Patent. Patiqgnggd- Jujy ff}, 192f2,

1922. Serial No. $1,154.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged view showing the keeper in front elevation.

Fig. 4, is a side view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5, is an enlarged view of one of the bridge teeth showing the anchor. in place.

Fig. 6, is a side view of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7, is an enlarged front view of the abutment tooth showing the keeper secured within the inlay. I

Fig. 8, is a side view of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9, is an enlarged view showing the anchor. attached to a bridge carrying two teeth.

Fig. 10, is an enlarged view of the abutment teeth with the inlay and the keeper attached therein.

Fig.11, is a plan view showing the bridge work secured to the abutment teeth.

Fig. 12, is an enlarged view showing the abutment tooth covered with a gold crown and the keeper attached to the gold crown.

Fig. 13, is a frontv elevation sho ving the anchor and. keeper interlocked.

In the use of my invention, a detachable bridge 13 is attached to the abutment teeth A by means of an inlay 2 set therein, and the keeper 1 secured within the inlay or to gold crown over the abutment teeth to which the keeper 1 is secured, as may be best suited for the individual case, while the anchor is secured to the detachable bridge.

The keeper 1 is formed out of hard metal and pressed in the shape of a box having an opening 3 and a slot l. The bottom of the keeper 1 being rounding at 6 while the sides are bent inward and then outward at so that the anchor 8 will fit therein.

The anchor is round at the bottom. 9 and bent in at the sides and then outward at 10. In ma ring the anchor an opening 11 is formed at the bottom and from the metal pressed out of this opening lug 12 is formed to which is secured the bridge or partial plate. p 7

The sides of the anchor are connected together by the bar 13 which is leftin the metal in the making of the anchor. In case of wear between the keeper and anchor the opening 11 in the anchor is spread outward just enough to take up all the wear between the keeper and anchor.

It will. be noted that when the keeper and anchor are interlocked, the anchor is free to rock within the keeper a predetermined limit in either direction as indicated by the arrow Fi 18, to allow the normal movement of the abutment tooth during mastication. It is conversely true that the bridge or partial plate will have. a like limited rocking movement of the anchor within the keeper which is suflicient to prevent an unnatural strain on the abutment teeth during hard biting, and to allow the keeper and anchor to have a limited rocking movement to take care of the natural movements be tween the abutment teeth and the bridge or partial plate in chewing. By contracting the loop in the anchor it will slip into the keeper and can only be removed bya strong pull upward when located on the lower jaw, and downward when located on the upper jaw. Thus doing away with too much play between the keeper and anchor, for a joint that would permit too much play between the keeper and anchor would be a very unsatisfactory fastening.

I have designed my invention so that the k eper and anchor will have only suflicient rocking movement to avoid undue strain, and decrease the rocking movement by spreading the loop or increase this rocking movement by compressing the loop.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a dental fastening, in combination, a keeper and an anchor, said keeper having an opening therein and a slot down the side for receiving said anchor, the bottom of said keeper being round, the sides of said keeper being bent inward and then outward, the bottom of said anchor being round and a loop formed therein, the sides of said anchor being bent inward and then outward to fit snugly within said keeper and to allow for a slight rocking movement.

2. In a dental fastening, in combination, with a keeper and an anchor, an opening in said keeper, a slot in said keeper, said opening and slot for receiving said anchor, said keeper and said anchor being round at the bottom and bent inward and then outward at the edges in such a manner that they will interlock each other and be held firmly to gether with a rocking movement.

3. In a dental fastening, in combination, a keeper and a anchor, said keeper having an opening and a slot therein, said opening and slot for receiving said anchor, said anchor being rounding at the bottom bent in at the sides and then outward at the top, a bar connecting the sides of said anchor together, said bar being integral with said sides of said anchor, a lug on said bar for securing said anchor to the bridge or partial plate, a loop in said anchor below said bar to allow said anchor to compress as it enters said opening in said keeper to allow the sides of said anchor to expand after being placed within said keeper and to take up all Wear between said keeper and said anchor.

In witness whereof I afliX my signature.

IVILLIAM L. WITHERS. 

